


Glass Boxes and Darkness

by Ewelshy



Series: Jaydick One-Shots [6]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Animal Abuse, BAMF Dick Grayson, BAMF Jason Todd, Blood, Cages, Dick Grayson is Stray, Dick has black cat ears and a tail, How Do I Tag, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Jason is concerned, Life Partners, M/M, Psychic Bond, animal testing, not much violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-30 12:57:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17829011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ewelshy/pseuds/Ewelshy
Summary: A glass box doesn’t seem like a particularly good cell, does it?Well it was.





	1. Glass Boxes and Darkness

A glass box doesn’t seem like a particularly good cell, does it? Well it was. 

Jason, in his Red Hood gear, sat on his knees with his arms in reinforced cuffs above his head, surrounded by heroes. Heroes from Flash to Batman to Red Robin, even anti-heroes like him were secured and locked in. Everyone was secured… except one.

He should have known that they wouldn’t catch him, if they even tried that is.

Most of the heroes had already regained consciousness by the time Jason was awake, but he couldn’t see any sign of their kidnappers, only that each hero had a glass box of their own, cuffs around their wrists in a similar fashion to his. Jason registered that he had none of his gear actually _on_ him, even his helmet was gone; thankfully his mask was still in place. He shifted his neck and felt relief flood through him that no one had touched his necklace- no one had even thought anything of it. 

Groans echoed off the walls of the boxes and Jason was suddenly very grateful that he’d only been darted, and not beaten into unconsciousness, like Bruce had been, from the looks of it. He tested the limits of his bonds but found no give, the cuffs just rubbed his wrists and made them hurt. Sucking in deep breaths helped to regulate his breathing somewhat, images of what might have happened if he didn’t have the necklace with him. He closed his eyes and focused his attention on the metal around his neck, the metal that bound him to his life-partner, and spoke harshly into his own mind.

_‘Dickhead?’_

He waited a few seconds before panic began to build in his chest; his breathing slowly increasing as the seconds passed by. Until he heard the voice.

_‘Jay? Jay? Where are you? You didn’t come home and I waited all night. Then I waited all DAY. You’ve been gone nearly 48 hours without a word!’_

Breathing finally returning to normal, Jason felt his muscles relax slightly.

 _‘I’m not sure where I am, Dick, or even who took me, but I was taken from Warehouse 32, the one by the docks? There are other heroes here, including the Bat clan and the Justice League.’_ A door at the end of the corridor slamming open and multiple men walking through. _‘Hang on, someone’s coming in. I’ll keep you updated, ’kay?’_

He heard a growl through the telepathic contact, but Dick said nothing more. He was probably looking at footage from areas around the warehouse.

The figure approached the group of heroes with a smirk, and Jason sighed quietly. Of course Lex Luther was involved. He wasn’t sure why he was surprised, with this many heroes involved…

“ _Hello_ Ladies and Gentlemen! This is quite the spectacle, isn’t it? Think of it; all of you at my mercy! You have some delightful events coming up soon, including the public unmasking of some of you… masked types.” His watch began to buzz softly and Luther’s face stiffened into a business persona. “Well, get settled in, because you aren’t leaving yet.” He left. Mercy and Hope flanked him and the door shut with an ominous bang.

Jason slumped and saw many of the other heroes do the same, while others tugged on their bonds. He clocked the security cameras in the corners of the room and gritted his teeth; Luther was nothing if not thorough when he kidnapped someone. Suddenly, a voice in his head piped up.

_‘Is it Luther keeping you? Because it was Mercy Graves that darted you. I’m tracking where she is now… but she’s a sneaky little fucker and it may take a while… like a couple of hours. I have our computers running identification across the country to try and find her.’_

Jason could picture Dick sitting worriedly at the monitors, claws gripping the wood so hard it would leave marks. _‘Yes it is Luther, and Mercy is with him. What do you want me to do?’_ Not that he could do a fat lot.

Dick hummed into their link. _‘Try and get some sleep I suppose… don’t give it away that I’m coming. I can try and wake you through the link if you sleep lightly. Oh! Jason, please don’t aggravate anyone. I don’t need you any more injured than you are now. I know that you have injuries because the fall you took when you were darted must have created at least a bruise.’_

Jason smiled softly at the authoritive voice. _‘Yes Mom,’_ he teased.

The link went silent after that and Jason drifted. He heard snapshots of conversations between heroes, including Tim and Bruce. 

“If the secrets of our identities get out Batman… what will happen them?”

Bruce, for once, looked like he’d lost hope. Unable to comfort him, he shook his head. “I don’t know Red Robin. I just- don’t know. I have no gear, and with no one to turn to…”

He sounded so lost that it made Jason’s chest hurt. Bruce shouldn’t have given up this easily, especially not around the younger Robins! Unsettling thoughts swirled around Jason’s head as he fell asleep once again. He woke to the sound of someone pestering him.

 _‘…ason. Jason. Jay. Jasoooon. Jason Peter Todd WAKE UP. I need your help.’_

He shifted and almost spoke out loud when he recalled where he was. _‘Dick? Have you figured out where we are? And where are you?’_ He shifted his legs slightly and felt pins and needles run through them uncomfortably.

_‘I’m currently outside a relatively small building on the edge of New York- thermal imaging suggests that there are underground levels, where you all are. Now, are there any vents in that room? There is a vents system that runs through the building but it may not reach into every room.’_

Jason craned his neck around to look for any sign of a vent but didn’t see anything. He jerked at the cuff and leant forward, making the people around him look at him in confusion. Finally, he spotted a vent up in the rafters, previously hidden from his vision by a metal beam that ran along the length of the room. _‘I can see one. Also… please keep the need for body-bags to a minimum. The League may have you arrested if they see dead bodies. I don’t need you being carted off to jail because you killed the men keeping us here, okay?_

A quiet settled over the link as Jason waited for a reply. Then: 

_‘…even if they deserve it?’_ And wasn’t _that_ a shock to the system? To have Dick, his life partner, ask him the same question he had asked Bruce all those years ago made his chest ache in sudden emotion. He looked at Bruce out of the corner of his eye and saw his pseudo father watching him worriedly.

He closed his eyes. _‘Even if they deserve it.’_ he said firmly.

Silence once again fell over the link before a soft, almost inaudible voice whispered in his mind.

_‘Anything for you Jason…’_

He breathed a sigh of relief. _‘Thank you. Can you keep me updated on what you’re doing? At least when you’re getting close?’_

_‘Of course’_

And he did. Over the next hour or so, Stray kept the Red Hood updated on his actions; whether it was just describing the state of vents that he was crawling through or describing how he was avoiding certain men in a room to access another vent. He kept up a nearly constant commentary, and Jason realised it was probably rather difficult for him to do so, especially when he wasn’t really adding much to the conversation. At last, Stray went quiet in his head and he saw heard the almost silent click of claws on metal. He only heard it because he was listening for it, but when he looked around, no one else seemed to have noticed.

 _‘I can hear you Stray, you’re in the right place.’_ Jason heard a growl of satisfaction from his life-partner, and his necklace pulsed softly, indicating that they were close to each other.

Jason watched the vent from the corner of his eye and saw the tips of two furry black ears, then they quickly disappeared as Stray made his way along the metal beams. His eyes fell on the cameras in the corners of the room, and he saw a small silver device, which he knew was magnetic, attach itself to the back of the camera. The flashing red light on said camera went orange for a few seconds before going back to red. 

Stray dropped silently behind the four guards near the door, and by the time they had registered he was there, they were unconscious on the floor. Dick made his way over to Jason’s cell, ignoring the mystified looks from everyone around him, and began to mess with the wires in the electronic lock. To anyone else, Dick would look incredibly calm, but Jason could see how his ears were twisting subtly, trying to pin point if anyone was coming too early. 

“Can’t you just break the glass?” Jason murmured, subconsciously leaning forward.

“I would, but its bulletproof, and would take too long to get through. We have about one minute before rotations, and then another thirty seconds before backup arrives. Bingo-”

The lock on the door fizzed and dropped onto the floor; Dick yanked the door open and slashed through the metal cuffs like they were butter. Jason’s arms dropped to his sides and he groaned, closing his eyes.

“Hey, Red. Don’t ignore me! We have to get into the rafters in the next twenty seconds or you will most likely be shot. Come on.”

With another groan, he got to his feet and took the grapple that was offered to him. Dick just leapt into the rafters, with him following. When they got into the rafters, he was pulled roughly into a kiss. Having been caught off-guard, he made a surprised sound in the back of his throat but melted into the kiss. Stray pulled away and thrust his helmet into his hands.

“I managed to get a few of your things, like your gauntlets and a couple of your guns- not everything, but it should be enough. You can always use those.” He gestured at the unconscious men on the floor. 

At that moment, other men came through the door and began to yell into their radios for help. Stray and Red Hood hid themselves in the darkness of the rafters while the men began to investigate the open cell in the middle of the room.

 _‘I’ve messed with the lights- they will go off in about fifty-two seconds. Just a heads up. And one of the men coming in should have the device we can use to free everyone else.’_ Dick’s voice cut through his mind and Jason looked over to Stray, who was watching the men on the ground intently, obviously looking for any hidden weapons.

Jason couldn’t help grinning. _‘Thanks.’_

He turned on the night-vision setting on his helmet and got his guns ready. He saw Stray’s claws sliding out of his hands, white standing out against his blue and black costume. He tensed, and Jason could hear Dick counting down until the lights gave out. The other men cam in, guns raised… then the lights cut out.

He leapt off his perch in the rafters at the same time as Stray and they began to take out gun-man after gun-man, bullets flying everywhere. They used the darkness to their advantage and kept to the sides of the room and using the general confusion to avoid getting hurt. Jason swiped at one man, knocking him to floor, and picked up his gun, as his were almost out of ammunition. He shot at the other men with deadly precision and took the few seconds of reprieve to watch Stray in action.

He always took Jason’s breath away.

The lithe acrobat bent and twisted to avoid bullets that got too close, while using his razor-sharp claws to tear through both gun-metal and Kevlar. His tail whipped from side to side to help keep his balance, and his ears twisted to take in the surroundings. He _could_ see in the dark, that was clear from the way his eyes were reflecting the light coming through the open doors as more men came in. 

Bullets still flew everywhere, and Jason joined in the fighting once again, shooting the men in non-vital places, like the legs and the arms. It took a while, but slowly, the amount of conscious men began to decrease. There were now more than a hundred men lying on the floor. 

“You gonna turn the lights back on, Stray?”

No answer.

Turning around and lifting his gun, Red Hood let out a low growl. Hope Taya had a gun pressed against Stray’s temple, digging in hard enough for Dick to be wincing from the pressure.

_‘Jason- I still have control over the lights. If I turn the lights off, she may be disorientated for long enough for you to get her off me. Because this is not comfortable.’_

Jason nodded, knowing Dick would see him.

_‘Three…’_

He lifted his gun.

_‘Two…’_

Closed his eyes.

_‘One’_

The lights flashed on and Jason took the shot. 

Never had a woman’s scream been more satisfying. When he opened his eyes, he saw Stray kick Hope to the ground, knocking her out. He’d shot her in the shoulder, but it was a clean shot, straight through. She had been lucky.

He pointedly didn’t look at any of the Leaguers, only concerned with his partner, who was streaked in blood. Whether it was his own or others was unclear but considering the amount of bleeding men on the floor, he was willing to put money on how most of it wasn’t his.

Stray high-pitched whine broke through his musing, and his eyes quickly shot up to Dick’s. Stray was observing his claws which were painted red with dark blood. He looked terrifyingly beautiful, with flecks of blood on his cheeks, waiting to be licked away…

He was getting off track. Jason used his gloved thumb to wipe away some of the blood, and Stray leaned into the touch slightly before pulling away with a smile. He walked over to the middle of the pile of unconscious men and rummaged through for a couple of seconds.

“Got it!”

He walked over to Jason with a tiny device in his hand. He messed with for a second and the device let out a whining sound that made Dick flinch. The cells that held each hero slowly began to open, releasing the doors. The cuffs stayed on, but it wasn’t too difficult to get through each one with the right technology. After only a few more minutes, every hero was free from their restraints and groaning when it jostled any injuries they had. Jason turned to his partner.

“Do you know a way out of here? Because I still have no idea where we are.”

Stray nodded and the two of them lead the way through different corridors, ignoring any and all questioning looks from those surrounding them. Bruce kept giving him sideways glances which were getting harder and harder to pretend not to see. Jason could feel nervousness and a tinge of panic flow through the link with Stray, so he took his hand in his own. Stray squeezed his hand tightly and tried to even out his breathing. Neither said a word.

There were a couple of times when a group of men would come around the corner, fully armed, and both Stray and Hood would take them out, moving in complete sync with each other. The other heroes, while some of them hid it better than others, were impressed and concerned at the skill of the two criminal-turned-heroes. It was clear from their movements that they had trained together vigorously, and that they had a close bond with each other.

After walking for what felt like hours, they came to a stop in front of a reinforced room, and Stray turned to the group. 

“This room contains all of your weapons and excess armour, lock-picks and such. You are welcome.” He bowed and the doors flung open, and Jason snorted at his dramatics. The group of heroes fanned out and retrieved their gear, each looking much more confident with their gear. 

It was much easier to move through the building once everyone had their gear, as most people wanted to work off some frustration at not being able to help earlier. Superman was still weak from the kryptonite gem that had been attached to his cuffs, so he couldn’t really help, but most of the others quickly had any men down within a few minutes. All the while, Stray and Hood stayed together, not leaving each other’s side.

 _‘Something’s wrong Jay’_ Dick said nervously into his mind. Unease from both of them intertwined in the link; Jason felt it too. It had been too easy. _‘Something’s going to happen, I haven’t seen Luther or Hope yet…’_

Jason’s fists clenched and unclenched as the unease he had been feeling jumped to new levels. _‘We’re just going to have to carry on… I know what you mean though.’_

They kept walking through the compound until they made it to the end of a corridor, where a large metal sign read _‘Keep Door Locked At All Times- Authorised Personal Only’_. Dick looked at Jason.

“Well, I’ve always been the one to break the rules. Lets see what you’ve been doing Luther.”

He broke the lock on the door and pushed it open, and everyone was hit with a sense of ominousness, as the corridor was dark, and chains littered the floor, alongside dried blood and claw marks in the wall. Stray swallowed and walked forward, Hood directly after him. As they passed each door, Hood began to feel more and more uneasy, not that he knew why.

They had passed about twenty-five doors on each side when they reached a control room. They quickly took out the guards inside and had a look at the security cameras in each room. Hood couldn’t see at first, but Stray, after seeing whatever it was, shot back like he had been burned. The growl that was ripped from his throat was much more vat than human and made a few of the Leaguers take a step back.

“Luther’s been experimenting on animals- not just animals but they’re all cats! Big cats and domestic cats- why would he fucking- monster- look at them!” Dick paced back and forth, incisors in the front of his mouth slowly growing sharper and bigger. 

When Jason _did_ look at the cameras, he felt his stomach drop and his breath catch. “It’s not just cats, Stray… come look at this- you too Batman.”

They stepped forward, and Stray’s growl sounded like a very angry tiger. Because in the camera on the end of the row was Selina Kyle, in her Catwoman costume, with a collar around her neck and Mercy Graves pointing a gun at the back of her head.


	2. Chapter 2

Jason grabbed Stray around the waist just in time; his life partner launched himself at the door, fully intent on murdering Mercy and Luther for their involvement in the kidnapping of his pseudo-mom.

“Let go of me Red- she has Momma- let- go!” Dick snarled, pushing at Jason’s arms but not clawing at him get.

Murmurs broke out through the group of heroes.

_Momma?_

Hood turned to face them. “Carry on through that corridor. It’ll take you out the emergency exit and away from here. B, I may need your help, as well as the baby birds.”

“How do you know how to get out?” Wonder Woman asked, looking sceptical. 

Jason growled under his breath, still struggling with Stray in his arms. “Because of the fucking blueprints on the wall. There isn’t enough room in the cells for all of us to effectively help Catwoman and all the other cats; so go.”

They started to file out except for Batman, Red Robin and Robin, as well as Red Hood and Stray. Stray broke out of Hood’s grip and made a beeline for the door. It was Batman who stopped him.

“Stray,” he barked, voice commanding, “if you charge in their without knowing why Catwoman is here, you risk getting her shot. We need a plan if we are to get her out safely.”

Jason watched as Dick struggled with himself for a few seconds. He shut the door and took a deep breath. “Okay then. What’s your plan, Dark Knight of Gotham?” he said mockingly, but his body was tense with worry.

“You came in through the vents, did you not?” Robin asked, arms crossed.

Stray nodded.

“Well, do you have a plan of the vents in the nearby area? There are vents-” he kicked one to the side of him softly, “-all over the place, we can use this to our advantage.”

Red Robin slowly nodded. “If someone was to distract Mercy for long enough to allow someone else into the cell without her spotting them, we may be able to free your Mom without her being injured.”

Stray growled and his incisors flashed. “That would be great, except for the fact that I don’t know the layout of the vents.”

Red Robin looked confused. “Then how did you know where to find us? When you came into the room where we were being held, it was clear you knew that you were in the right place. If you didn’t know the layout of the vents, how did you _know_ you were in the right place without anyone telling you?”

Stray didn’t say anything; Batman’s eyes narrowed at him and Red Hood. “How do you know each other?” he growled. “And don’t bullshit me that you don’t know each other, because of all the heroes you chose to free first, it was Hood. You also fought perfectly with each other when in battle.”

Neither said anything.

“And what was up with you earlier Hood? You kept jerking your head around in your cell, like there was something wrong with you.” Robin carried on the interrogation, and Jason watched as Dick’s claws began to poke out of the end of his gloves again. Before he could say anything, Stray let out an animalistic growl that echoed around the room, making some of the cats in the cells nearest to them lower their heads.

“We’re _life partners_. That good enough for you, World’s Greatest Detective, or do I need to spell my life story out for you?” Seeing the shocked faces of Jason’s family, he bared his teeth. “Good. Because I would like to save my Mom, if that’s alright with you.”

Red Robin turned around and sat at one of the control room computers, tapping a few buttons. “I believe I can bring up some form of planning for vents; it may give us a better idea on what we’re looking at.” He kept typing, and Dick walked to Jason, standing slightly behind him, claws still not away. He kept glancing warily at Batman, who pointedly did not look at either of them.

Robin shifted from foot to foot until Red Robin made a small sound of victory. “I found it- the vents carry air into each cell, so there is a vent built into the corner of each ceiling. The vents aren’t big enough down here to let everyone in there, only me and Robin.”

Stray growled again, but it was quieter. He took a calming breath before speaking. “So, Batman, Hood and I distract Mercy while you two take her out from behind?”

Batman nodded slowly. “That seems like the best option. What about the other cats? We can’t really leave them here.”

Stray’s grin was terrifying. “Leave them to me.”

Batman looked like he was going to say something but sighed and waved at Red Robin and Robin to go inside the vents. Batman walked out the door, Hood following, but when he turned around, Stray was looking at the footage from Selina’s cell. He placed a hand on Dick’s tense shoulder.

“We’ll get her out, Stray, she’ll be safe. You know that B has a soft spot for her anyway- he won’t let her get hurt.”

Dick looked at him and Jason could see the worry and pain simmering beneath the surface, masked with anger. Dick didn’t move for a second, then nodded minutely before walking out of the door.

They waited outside of Selina’s cell door, waiting for Red Robin to give them a signal. The three of them were silent as the lock on the door fizzled and fell into Batman’s waiting hand as he disabled it. Finally, after a few more minutes of tense waiting, Batman received the message in Morse Code: _‘Ready’_.

Batman looked at Red Hood and Stray and nodded. The two of them tensed up more, and Batman opened the door quickly, letting it crash into the wall with a little more force than necessary. Mercy Graves grinned and pressed the gun barrel into Selina’s head, making her hiss in pain. They noticed that Selina’s wrists were held in thin but strong chains, fixed to the floor. 

Mercy began to speak. “Luther expected you-” she pointed at Batman with her free hand, “-to come for her, but not you.” She finished by pointing at Stray. “You look like you have a bit of a connection to our dear guest here, what with the ears and tail?”

Stray growled but said nothing more; he had seen Red Robin in the vents above; they were readying themselves to drop down. Batman spoke up to keep Mercy’s attention away from the ceiling.

“What’s Luther’s plan here Mercy? Keeping cats doesn’t seem like his normal M.O., so what has motivated him this time?” His voice was an angry rasp, and would make most men shake, but Mercy stood tall under the Bat’s gaze.

“I don’t actually know, not that I would tell you. My orders were to keep Catwoman here and alive. Nothing more.” Her grin widened some more and she took out another gun from its holster on her hip. “He didn’t, however, say I should keep _you_ alive.” She aimed the gun at him and many things began to happen at once.

Red Robin and Robin dropped from the vent in the ceiling, Robin catching Mercy on the shoulder; Mercy looked up, cursed and shot both guns. One of the bullets, the one aimed at Selina, embedded itself in her arm; the other once ricocheted off the wall and hit Batman in the right calf. Stray leapt at Mercy, knocking both guns out of her hands, and curled his clawed hand around her throat, lifting her up so she was pressed against the wall, her own hands clawing desperately at Stray’s wrists as he cut off her blood supply.

Selina cried out in pain and Red Robin quickly sliced through her bonds as Red Hood caught Batman from falling to the ground. They turned to the sound of choking and were horrified to see Stray pinning Mercy against the wall.

“You shot her, Mercy.” Stray said, oh so calmly; but his instinct screamed for revenge, for vengeance. Blood rushed in his ears when his claws dug into her neck, making blood bead where they pierced the skin. He leaned in. “You’re going to regret that.” As his grip got tighter and tighter, more blood dripped from her neck, and her eyes began to roll up into the back of her head.

A weakened voice broke through his anger. “ _Kitten._ Kitten, stop, or you’ll kill her, I’m okay- really.”

Momma.

His grip weakened slightly and Mercy made tiny gasping noises as her body sucked in, desperate for air. A hand pulled his own away from Mercy’s throat, and pulled him away from her completely, until he was facing the door. He eyes fell on his Mom, who was struggling to get up. He rushed over to her and caught her as she fell. Selina turned to look at him; blood on his face from earlier, ripped costume from the odd lucky scratch of a knife, and bloody claws. 

She smiled softly at him. 

“Always one for getting in trouble, aren’t you Kitten?” She teased and leaned on him and kissing his cheek. He leaned into the touch and looked around at the gathered Bats. Robin was cuffing Mercy, who was still gasping for breath, Red Robin was binding his mentor’s leg, and Red Hood was waiting outside the door. With Selina still on his arm, Dick lead her out of the cell and gave her to Jason, who took her without question. 

Dick waited until everyone was in the control room to release the other cells. Robin went pale and took out his katanas. “Are you _insane?_ ” he hissed, eyes wide, “they’ll kill us all!”

Stray knocked the katanas out of Robin’s hands and whistled sharply. All the cats, big and small, looked up to him. He knelt down in front of them and bumped heads with the largest cat, a Bengal tiger. The tiger gave a purr and licked Dick’s gloved fingers.

Jason outright laughed at the awestruck expressions on everyone’s faces; they all glared at him and Batman narrowed his eyes again. “Have you seen this happen before?”

Jason snorted before sobering slightly. “Yeah, remember when I went undercover in that black-market ring for a couple of months? And how they were selling rare animals? Well, one of the jaguars got out and killed three men. Stray magicked the overgrown cat into submission and got him to safety before anyone could shoot it.”

“Its not magic, Hood.” There was a pregnant pause when Jason stared at the back of Dick’s head, an incredulous expression plastered on his face.

“…fine, it _is_ magic, but I don’t ‘magic them into submission’- they just like me. They are smart, cats.”

Jason sighed and Damian approached Stray. A couple of the bigger cats began to growl, but Stray hushed them.

“I... must apologise for taking out my weapons when I did not realise you had the situation under control. I rather like cats, and can agree with your statement about them being intelligent.”

Stray looked at Robin for a second, then barked out a laugh, standing up. One cat, much smaller than the others, sat on his shoulder. “I like you, Robin.” He looked up. “I like all of you.” When he didn’t say anything more on the subject, Jason smiled. The he looked over the group of cats, a terrible idea forming in his head.

“They are not staying in the apartment. No way. No.”

Stray pouted but sighed. “I think we probably need to get outside, or the Justice League’ll think you’ve been kidnapped again. I’ll go last, because of the cats.”

And so they did. With Jason helping Selina and Tim helping Bruce, Damian studying the cats and Dick making sure none of them wandered off. They approached daylight and were blinded when they finally reached it; the sun was just coming up over the buildings and although the red and oranges were a pretty combination, none of them could see. At all.

As the cats started coming onto the street, a few of the bystander’s jaws dropped. They snapped pictures but didn’t look too worried. The police on the other hand, looked horrified. Many of them held up guns and tranquilisers, aiming at the cats, who growled and went tense.

“No!” Stray yelled, holding out a hand. “Listen! They won’t attack if they aren’t provoked, okay? They trust me and I’m taking them back to the areas across the world that they came from.”

Superman, repowered by the sun, floated down to Batman. They exchanged a few words before he went to speak with the New York City police commissioner. After a minute, the commissioner lowered his hand and the men lowered their guns, making Dick sigh in relief. 

The Bengal tiger butted at Dick’s leg and he rubbed the big cat’s head as Jason called his jet. As the jet landed, the cats seemed to understand that it was for them, and they made their way inside, some more nervous than others. The surrounding crowd, Justice League included, were astonished. Jason just smiled and followed Dick into the plane.

“Batman said he’ll find his own way home and help Selina, and we need to explain the whole ‘life partner’ thing to him later… after we’ve returned all of the cats. Do you know where each one comes from?”

Dick looked mildly offended. “I did say that these cats were smart, didn’t I? Well, they know where they’ve come from, even the domestics. Most of the domestics know their way around the city, so they don’t actually have to come with us on the plane journey.” He looked up, and about thirteen of the small cats ran out of the jet and took off across the sidewalk, having been given permission to leave.

Dick sat at the controls, the kitten sat on his shoulder looking in wonder at all the lights. Jason laughed and kissed Dick’s temple as they lifted into air, waving at the civilians below them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Completed! Kudos and comment! Until next chapter  
> -E


End file.
